Breaking Boundaries
by A Castle of Glass
Summary: Amberpaw has always wanted to be bold, strong, and a leader, like her brothers, but sometimes you have to turn to the night to fulfill your wishes, even if isn't pretty. Takes place about six moons after The Last Hope. Nothing to do with the Dark Forest. :)
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

**One warning before this starts: if you are offended by transsexuality, then please leave now, this story isn't for you. Though you shouldn't be offended, just saying. **

**Anyways, here we go:**

* * *

_Chapter One:_

* * *

"Dewpaw! Dewpaw!" The Clan cheered as Dewpaw touched noses with Ivypool. It was her turn now. It was her turn, and she was more nervous than either of her brothers. They had been boasting about how they'd be the best apprentices ever, while she'd awkwardly laughed.

Amberkit sighed. If only she could be more like her brothers. They were always boasting, always confident. They were great leaders, kits that Owlkit and Stormkit, Dovewing's kits, looked up to. She was just the follower, the one who was too shy to speak very much, let alone lead. They were the ones who'd be leading the Clan while she sat around doing nothing. Even now they seemed more triumphant than nervous, while her legs felt like water.

Bramblestar turned his sharp gaze to her, "Amberkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Amberpaw. Your mentor will be Hazeltail. I hope Hazeltail will pass on everything she knows to you."

As Bramblestar turned to Hazeltail and continued the ceremony, Amberpaw looked at her. She didn't seem surprised that she'd been chosen as Amberpaw's mentor. Had she asked for her? Would someone ask for her? She focused back on the ceremony and caught the end of it, "...all you know to Amberpaw," which queued her to approach her new mentor.

She briskly moved over and touched noses with Hazeltail, her tail twitching with nervousness. However, something in the pride that was in Hazeltail's eyes calmed her. The crowd began cheering, "Snowpaw! Dewpaw! Amberpaw! Snowpaw! Dewpaw! Amberpaw!"

Half-smiling, Amberpaw made her way over to Brightheart. Amberpaw brushed against her and purred, "I'm an apprentice, Brightheart!"

Brightheart smiled, "Yes you are!" Licking the top of my head, she nudged me towards the apprentice's den, towards my den, "Go and get your nest ready. I'm sure Lilypaw and Seedpaw want to congratulate you."

I nodded and walked away, leaving the nursery life forever.

* * *

_Two days later..._

* * *

"Wake up Amberpaw!" A voice yelled, cutting into her peaceful sleep. Yawning, Amberpaw creaked her eyes open, blinking them against the light. It was sunrise, and Hazeltail was waking her up for their first hunting session. The day before, they had taken a walk around the territory, which had been nice, but she wanted to do something interesting. Hopefully hunting wouldn't be too hard.

"I'm coming Hazeltail!" Amberpaw mewed. She got up, gave herself a quick lick, and went outside. Hazeltail was waiting in front of her, her expression eager yet calm. Amberpaw still felt nervous.

"Are you ready to go, or do you want to get something to eat first?" Hazeltail asked.

Looking over at the nearly empty pile of prey, Amberpaw mewed softly, "No, no, let's go." It was nice and cool that morning, the sky covered in patches of large gray clouds. Hopefully it wouldn't rain.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Hazeltail replied, her ear twitching. How did she not hear her? She was right in front of Hazeltail! Was this some sort of test?

Amberpaw lifted her head and looked at Hazeltail. A moment later, she mewed, "I said, that we can go now," her voice louder and clearer.

Hazeltail nodded, "Good." She began walking out into the forest, and Amberpaw followed her loosely, gazing at the now vaguely familiar landmarks. Suddenly, she felt herself bump into Hazeltail, who had stopped. Hazeltail turned to her, "Listen, Amberpaw. Do you want to know the reason why I picked you? Why I had you repeat yourself back at camp?" When I nodded, she continued, "I chose you not because you were like your brothers, but because you weren't. You were the one kit who never spoke up, the one kit who only followed, and I want to change that. Warriors aren't born, they're made, and if you try hard enough, you can be a leader, just like your brothers." She looked me deep in the eyes, "Can I trust you to try? Or should I let you be too shy for your own good?"

Hazeltail's stare was so intense that Amberpaw had to turn away. Was she too shy? She knew she wasn't bold like her brothers but she didn't think that was a problem. Looking down at her paws, Amberpaw mewed, "Of course I'll try."

Hazeltail sighed, "Now that's something we need to change." She bent her head down so she could see Amberpaw's eyes, "Keep your head up and look in the eyes of whoever you're speaking to. You don't want others thinking you're too scared to talk to them. Try."

Amberpaw slowly lifted her head, looking into the intense stare yet again. "I promise that I will try," she mewed.

"Come on!" Hazeltail exclaimed, "Say it louder!" Her eyes were burning with determination, as if she were a battle Hazeltail had to win.

"I will try!" I mewed, as loud as I could without shouting, "I promise I will try!"

Hazeltail narrowed her eyes and nodded, "Better." Amberpaw's eyes stretched in surprise. She'd nearly yelled and it was only 'better?'

Hazeltail looked back towards what Amberpaw had learned was the ShadowClan and looked back, mewing, "Alright, then. Show me your best Hunter's Crouch." Amberpaw quickly complied, getting into a crouch that seemed comfortable.

Hazeltail sighed, "Wrong, wrong, wrong." She padded over to her and began fixing her crouch, "Get down more, but tuck your shoulders in more. Keep your tail off of the ground and for StarClan's sake, stop twitching!"

Holding in a protest, Amberpaw forced her body to stay still in the proper technique. It felt awkward, but she began to get used it. Nodding, Hazeltail mewed, "Good, now remember to stay in that stance when we find some prey. You'll be catching it."

Amberpaw took a deep breath. Hopefully she wouldn't disappoint Hazeltail. As Hazeltail began walking, Amberpaw quickly scrambled to catch up.

Not long later, Hazeltail stopped her with her tail pointing out a mouse nibbling at something inside of a bush. "Wait until it comes out," she whispered.

Once the mouse scrabbled out into the open, Hazeltail nudged her forward, so she got into the best Hunter's Crouch she could do. She crept forward, careful not to step on anything, but the mouse was alerted when her tail brushed up against a bush and rustled it. It took off, so Amberpaw went after it, but she had to stop when it flung itself into a hole in a tree.

"You need to be in control of every part of your body," a voice mewed behind her, startling her. Hazeltail was standing behind her. She seemed disappointed, but at least she wasn't mad.

Amberpaw sighed, "Can we fight now?" She hoped that she'd be much better at fighting.

Hazeltail shook her head, "No, that's it for today. Let's go back to camp before it starts raining." Disappointed, Amberpaw followed her mentor yet again.

Once they reached camp, an eager group of Snowpaw, Dewpaw, Lilypaw, and Seedpaw beckoned her over.

Once she reached them, Snowpaw quickly asked, "Did you catch anything? I caught a squirrel!"

Dewpaw smiled, "We had a battle session with Lilypaw and Seedpaw!"

"Well...umm...I didn't really catch anything," Amberpaw admitted. Of course her brothers would do better than her.

Dewpaw brushed up against her, "Aww, don't worry. You'll catch something soon!"

Amberpaw looked away, "Yeah..." Leaving the group, she went to get herself something from the fresh-kill pile.

**A/N:**

**There you go. Chapter done.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**

**It may start boring, but that is usual. I'll give you a hint right now:**

**The main part of the plot will not be with Amberpaw.**

**Oh and Jaypaw, do you remember what you said you'd do in one of your Author's Notes?**

* * *

_Chapter Two:_

* * *

"What are you talking about? You can't do that!" She yelled at Hazeltail, the birds near us fluttering away.

Hazeltail glared back, "I'm your mentor, and I can train you however I want!" We were facing each other just outside of the Sandy Hollow.

It'd been two moons since that first failed catch, and Amberpaw had been missing many more since. She knew hunting was important, but fighting was so much better! She could even take down Lilypaw, or since a while ago, Lilypool, who'd become a best friend to her. However, when it came to hunting, she just couldn't fix the little mistakes. Sometimes she brushed up against bushes, sometimes she snapped sticks, and sometimes she missed the pounce, but she could never fix it, even with Hazeltail yelling at her.

Now, Hazeltail was threatening to delay her warrior ceremony for a moon if she didn't get it together.

"If I'm so good at fighting, why do I need to hunt? Why not have designated fighters?" Amberpaw mewed.

"You need to be able to hunt because we don't need fighting to survive! If you can't get food, then you shouldn't steal prey from others who've worked hard. You told me that you'd try, but you've done nothing but complain since you missed your first catch," Hazeltail replied.

Amberpaw sighed, "But I can't try! No matter what I do, Snowpaw and Dewpaw double it!" It was true to her, because she always found herself embarrassed that her brothers had done so much better.

"Well then triple it! Don't ever give up!" Hazeltail yelled back. I growled and turned away. She wouldn't understand. Without looking back, I went off to practice on my own. Maybe I just needed alone time.

* * *

_Around four moons later..._

* * *

The first thing she noticed as she got up was that her entire body felt sore. Though of course, Amberpaw had expected it. The day before they'd had an intense final assessment, where she'd managed to fend off Dewpaw in a fight. She'd even caught two mice and a blackbird. Turns out all she needed was focus, and the threat of having to wait to become a warrior was certainly a great focusing tool. It'd taken another moon or so, but soon she was around average at hunting.

Owlpaw and Stormpaw had been great friends with her ever since they'd become apprentices, and she hoped that she was a good role model to them, because she knew they looked up to her. She'd miss them, but they'd have Patchkit, Finchkit, and Blackkit, Cinderheart and Lionblaze's kits. Patchkit was a tom, while Finchkit and Blackkit were she-cats.

Looking around, she could only see her siblings. Owlpaw and Stormpaw must've gone out with Squirrelflight and Ivypool, their mentors. Hazeltail had told her that they were allowing all of us to sleep in, and when the patrols got back, the ceremony would start.

From what Amberpaw could tell, it was Sunhigh, and the Sunrise patrols would be back soon. Sighing, she padded over to Snowpaw and nudged his shoulder. As he groaned himself awake, she nudged Dewpaw awake as well.

"Is it time for the ceremony?" Snowpaw mewed, his voice eager. Meanwhile, Dewpaw was struggling to get up, his eyes dull. He must've been too excited to sleep.

Amberpaw shook her head, "No, but it should be happening soon. It's Sunhigh." Turning to Dewpaw, she smirked, "Having trouble? What'd you do overnight, spy on an enemy Clan?"

"Funny, funny," Dewpaw grumbled, finally getting up to his paws, "Are we going to go or not?" He pushed past us and slipped into the hollow. Exchanging an amused look with Snowpaw, we quickly followed him out.

The clearing had plenty of cats in it, as if they were waiting for the ceremony. Some were eating, while others were just talking. Smiling, Amberpaw followed Snowpaw to the fresh-kill pile, where Dewpaw had already picked up a mouse. Dropping it, he mewed, "Let's share this." He picked it back up and carried it to our corner of the camp.

Setting it down, Dewpaw sat down, and we followed suit. He took a bite and passed it to her, so she took a bite. "So," Snowpaw mewed, "what's been your favorite part of being an apprentice?"

"Well, my favorite part has to be from yesterday, where I destroyed Dewpaw in fighting," Amberpaw mewed, her eyes bright. She was certainly less nervous than she'd been for her apprentice ceremony.

"Hey! It's not my fault that you're the strongest she-cat in the Clan!" Dewpaw exclaimed, defending himself. She simply smiled. She knew he was slightly exaggerating, but it felt good to be given a compliment like that.

"Snowpaw! Dewpaw! Amberpaw!" Two voices mewed from across the clearing. A moment later, Owlpaw and Stormpaw were in front of them.

"Our mentors said that since everyone was here, they'd ask Bramblestar to start the ceremony!" Owlpaw mewed. Stormpaw merely stood next to him, panting.

As if on cue, Bramblestar emerged, crouching on the end of the Highledge. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" He yelled, gathering the gazes of everyone, who began to gather in.

"I, Bramblestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice," he began, looking at Amberpaw, "She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn."

Bramblestar continued, "Amberpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Amberpaw took a deep breath, "I do."

Bramblestar nodded, "Then by the power of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Amberpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Amberheart. StarClan honors your courage and fighting skill, and we welcome you as a full member of ThunderClan."

Amberheart smiled. He'd mentioned her fighting skill. She approached Bramblestar and went through the standard traditions, with Bramblestar resting his muzzle on her head while she licked his shoulder.

"Amberheart! Amberheart! Amberheart!" The Clan cheered as she padded back to her spot.

Amberheart could only stare as the entire Clan cheered for the newly-named Snowstorm and Dewfall, barely listening. She was just as good as her brothers, no matter what anyone said. She'd tried for Hazeltail, and she'd continue trying for the rest of her life.

The rest of the day went by quickly, a flurry of congratulations, including a loving talk with Cloudtail and Brightheart. Eventually, she found herself walking to her former den, but Snowstorm pushed her away, mewing, "Sorry Amberheart, but I don't believe we're sleeping tonight."

Grinning sheepishly, Amberheart followed him back out as cats began to file into their dens. As the sun set, the new warriors began their vigil...

**A/N:**

**Hmmmm...still fairly uneventful. What am I slowly building up to? Why isn't Amberpaw the main protagonist for most of this fic?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:**

**It may start boring, but that is usual. I'll give you a hint right now:**

**The main part of the plot will not be with Amberpaw.**

**Oh and Jaypaw, do you remember what you said you'd do in one of your Author's Notes?**

* * *

_Chapter Two:_

* * *

"What are you talking about? You can't do that!" She yelled at Hazeltail, the birds near us fluttering away.

Hazeltail glared back, "I'm your mentor, and I can train you however I want!" We were facing each other just outside of the Sandy Hollow.

It'd been two moons since that first failed catch, and Amberpaw had been missing many more since. She knew hunting was important, but fighting was so much better! She could even take down Lilypaw, or since a while ago, Lilypool, who'd become a best friend to her. However, when it came to hunting, she just couldn't fix the little mistakes. Sometimes she brushed up against bushes, sometimes she snapped sticks, and sometimes she missed the pounce, but she could never fix it, even with Hazeltail yelling at her.

Now, Hazeltail was threatening to delay her warrior ceremony for a moon if she didn't get it together.

"If I'm so good at fighting, why do I need to hunt? Why not have designated fighters?" Amberpaw mewed.

"You need to be able to hunt because we don't need fighting to survive! If you can't get food, then you shouldn't steal prey from others who've worked hard. You told me that you'd try, but you've done nothing but complain since you missed your first catch," Hazeltail replied.

Amberpaw sighed, "But I can't try! No matter what I do, Snowpaw and Dewpaw double it!" It was true to her, because she always found herself embarrassed that her brothers had done so much better.

"Well then triple it! Don't ever give up!" Hazeltail yelled back. I growled and turned away. She wouldn't understand. Without looking back, I went off to practice on my own. Maybe I just needed alone time.

* * *

_Around four moons later..._

* * *

The first thing she noticed as she got up was that her entire body felt sore. Though of course, Amberpaw had expected it. The day before they'd had an intense final assessment, where she'd managed to fend off Dewpaw in a fight. She'd even caught two mice and a blackbird. Turns out all she needed was focus, and the threat of having to wait to become a warrior was certainly a great focusing tool. It'd taken another moon or so, but soon she was around average at hunting.

Owlpaw and Stormpaw had been great friends with her ever since they'd become apprentices, and she hoped that she was a good role model to them, because she knew they looked up to her. She'd miss them, but they'd have Patchkit, Finchkit, and Darkkit, Cinderheart and Lionblaze's kits. Patchkit was a tom, while Finchkit and Darkkit were she-cats.

Looking around, she could only see her siblings. Owlpaw and Stormpaw must've gone out with Squirrelflight and Ivypool, their mentors. Hazeltail had told her that they were allowing all of us to sleep in, and when the patrols got back, the ceremony would start.

From what Amberpaw could tell, it was Sunhigh, and the Sunrise patrols would be back soon. Sighing, she padded over to Snowpaw and nudged his shoulder. As he groaned himself awake, she nudged Dewpaw awake as well.

"Is it time for the ceremony?" Snowpaw mewed, his voice eager. Meanwhile, Dewpaw was struggling to get up, his eyes dull. He must've been too excited to sleep.

Amberpaw shook her head, "No, but it should be happening soon. It's Sunhigh." Turning to Dewpaw, she smirked, "Having trouble? What'd you do overnight, spy on an enemy Clan?"

"Funny, funny," Dewpaw grumbled, finally getting up to his paws, "Are we going to go or not?" He pushed past us and slipped into the hollow. Exchanging an amused look with Snowpaw, we quickly followed him out.

The clearing had plenty of cats in it, as if they were waiting for the ceremony. Some were eating, while others were just talking. Smiling, Amberpaw followed Snowpaw to the fresh-kill pile, where Dewpaw had already picked up a mouse. Dropping it, he mewed, "Let's share this." He picked it back up and carried it to our corner of the camp.

Setting it down, Dewpaw sat down, and we followed suit. He took a bite and passed it to her, so she took a bite. "So," Snowpaw mewed, "what's been your favorite part of being an apprentice?"

"Well, my favorite part has to be from yesterday, where I destroyed Dewpaw in fighting," Amberpaw mewed, her eyes bright. She was certainly less nervous than she'd been for her apprentice ceremony.

"Hey! It's not my fault that you're the strongest she-cat in the Clan!" Dewpaw exclaimed, defending himself. She simply smiled. She knew he was slightly exaggerating, but it felt good to be given a compliment like that.

"Snowpaw! Dewpaw! Amberpaw!" Two voices mewed from across the clearing. A moment later, Owlpaw and Stormpaw were in front of them.

"Our mentors said that since everyone was here, they'd ask Bramblestar to start the ceremony!" Owlpaw mewed. Stormpaw merely stood next to him, panting.

As if on cue, Bramblestar emerged, crouching on the end of the Highledge. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" He yelled, gathering the gazes of everyone, who began to gather in.

"I, Bramblestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice," he began, looking at Amberpaw, "She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn."

Bramblestar continued, "Amberpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Amberpaw took a deep breath, "I do."

Bramblestar nodded, "Then by the power of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Amberpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Amberheart. StarClan honors your courage and fighting skill, and we welcome you as a full member of ThunderClan."

Amberheart smiled. He'd mentioned her fighting skill. She approached Bramblestar and went through the standard traditions, with Bramblestar resting his muzzle on her head while she licked his shoulder.

"Amberheart! Amberheart! Amberheart!" The Clan cheered as she padded back to her spot.

Amberheart could only stare as the entire Clan cheered for the newly-named Snowstorm and Dewfall, barely listening. She was just as good as her brothers, no matter what anyone said. She'd tried for Hazeltail, and she'd continue trying for the rest of her life.

The rest of the day went by quickly, a flurry of congratulations, including a loving talk with Cloudtail and Brightheart. Eventually, she found herself walking to her former den, but Snowstorm pushed her away, mewing, "Sorry Amberheart, but I don't believe we're sleeping tonight."

Grinning sheepishly, Amberheart followed him back out as cats began to file into their dens. As the sun set, the new warriors began their vigil...

**A/N:**

**Hmmmm...still fairly uneventful. What am I slowly building up to? Why isn't Amberpaw the main protagonist for most of this fic?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:**

**Just a good ol' hint: The character has not appeared in this story yet, or has he/she? He will be the main character as soon as next chapter. So no Lily, Amber, Seed, Dew, Storm, or Hazel.**

** Oh and I never mentioned that I try and work on my work and post at most every 14 days, normally less. **

**Just to say, I'm not really feeling like updating Echo of a Clan, but since it is easily my most popular story, I'll update it if this chapter gets five reviews, so get your friends on this story if you want it to be updated. If this gets five reviews, this won't be a half-hearted chapter, I'll be trying hard on it. If this story gets five reviews in three or four straight chapters, then I will begin updating it as regularly as possible.**

* * *

_Chapter Four, two moons later:_

* * *

"You know," Amberheart mewed, "this is one of those nights when I just think about how horrible my life would be without you."

Lilypool looked at her and smiled, "You know, there's no rules about it, so why can't we be more than friends?" A look of longing was shut in her eyes that made Amberheart's heart flip.

Amberheart gulped, "M-more than friends?" She stared at Lilypool in shock. She didn't know Lilypool felt that way.

Lilypool grinned and touched her muzzle to Amberheart's cheek, "More than friends. Is that a yes?" Amberheart could barely breathe. Her heart felt like it was going to burst in just pure...bliss.

"Of course," she whispered, leaning against Lilypool and twining tails. She closed her eyes and just relished Lilypool's sweet scent, her soft fur, her...laughing?

* * *

_In the real world:_

* * *

Amberheart groaned, who was laughing? She felt Lilypool stir, and she realized that she was nearly laying on top of Lilypool. Eyes widening, she scrambled up to her paws, only to see the source of the laughing.

Snowstorm and Seedflight were standing in front of her, laughing. Growling, Amberheart mewed, "Great StarClan! I didn't know sleeping was funny! Could you tell me how it was funny?"

Snowstorm smiled, "You two looked adorable laying together like that! Maybe if one of you was a tom, you'd do it more often!" Even though his voice made it seem like he was being serious, Amberheart could tell he was teasing her.

"Wait-what? What's going on?" Lilypool groggily mewed. She lifted her head up and looked around, "What's this meeting about?"

Seedflight smiled so widely Amberheart was surprised her mouth hadn't snapped in half, "Well, you know how Snowstorm and got together over a moon ago? While I have some great news!"

Lilypool sat up and whispered, "No way..." As I looked now, she agreed that she knew what Seedflight was going to say. Amberheart grinned and nodded.

Seedflight nodded, "I'm expecting kits!" She and Snowstorm shared a warm look.

"How long have you known?" Amberheart mewed. She knew that the two loved each other, but she didn't know they'd be having kits so quickly.

"Well..." Seedflight mewed, "I'd been noticing some weird feelings, so I talked with Sorreltail, and she just smiled and told me that I was going to be a mother." Amberheart looked at Seedflight. Her stomach seemed a bit larger, but it wasn't swollen yet. Bliss danced around in Seedflight's eyes.

Snowstorm nuzzled her shoulder, "When do you think you'll move into the nursery?"

Seedflight laughed, "Snowstorm, I know you want to protect me, but Jayfeather promised that I'd still be able do patrols." She yawned. "Speaking of patrols, I'm tired after that dawn patrol."

Snowstorm purred and nudged her forward, "You go to sleep then." He quickly guided her to her nest, and she flopped down, rolled over, and closed her eyes.

Smiling, he turned to the others, "Isn't she the best?" Snowstorm seemed overjoyed. He padded up to us and mewed, "Let's go outside." They quickly followed him out, leaving the peacefully slumbering future mother behind.

Once they were outside, Dewfall and Lilypool went to the fresh-kill pile, while Amberheart and Snowstorm stayed behind and began to chat.

"So, what is it like to know you'll be a father?" Amberheart inquired. He seemed so happy, but was he nervous?

Snowstorm smiled, "To me, it's the best feeling in the world. Though I do wish Seedflight won't wait until the last moment to move to nursery. I could tell the moment she said Jayfeather said she could patrol."

Amberheart nodded, but nudged Snowstorm's shoulder when she saw Dewfall and Lilypool walking off, "Where are they going?"

Snowstorm shrugged, "Who knows? Maybe they decided to go hunting?" Suddenly, he smiled. "You know what you need?" He mewed.

"What?" Amberheart uneasily replied. She didn't like Snowstorm's tone. She felt as if she was about to be embarrassed.

Snowstorm grinned, "I think you need some kits like Seedflight! Why don't you talk to Owlpaw? He certainly seems to like you."

Amberheart looked away, "Owlpaw's nice and all, but..." She knew she couldn't finish her sentence. Someone would kill her if they knew she had a giant crush on Lilypool.

"But...but what?" Snowstorm pressed, a teasing look fully entering his gaze. "You two would be an awesome couple!"

"Who would be an awesome couple?" A voice mewed from behind Amberheart, making her jump. Apparently, while Snowstorm was teasing her, Lilypool and Dewfall had returned.

Snowstorm's grin grew, "While, you see, I've been telling Amberheart here that she would be perfect with Owlpaw."

Amberheart ducked her head as Lilypool and Dewfall began chuckling. "I'm done with this," she murmured, and quickly slipped inside her den and stepped to her nest.

* * *

_One moon later... _

* * *

"Dewfall?" Amberheart mewed in the dark, trying to get her brother awake.

It was a dark night outside, and in more ways than one. A week ago, Dewfall and Lilypool had announced that they were now mates. Amberheart had been depressed, but maybe sharing her secret would help?

Dewfall softly groaned and got up. "Why are you waking me up in the middle of the night?"

"To tell you something very important," she replied. She looked around. Thankfully, no one else was awake.

"It better be important," Dewfall mumbled as Amberheart led him out of the camp. Once they stopped, he mewed, "What are you telling me?"

Amberheart took a deep breath, "Alright, I know this may sound really weird, but I've had a crush on Lilypool for a while."

Dewfall stared at her, "You're joking right?" He was staring as if she was a loner. Friendly, yet wary.

Amberheart shook her head, "No, I've had the crush for a while."

Dewfall's shock turned to outrage, "What? How? You two are both she-cats!" Amberheart opened her mouth to reply, but...couldn't. When she didn't reply, Dewpaw sighed and mewed, "If you keep that crush on my mate, I'll disown you." After that, he left, leaving Amberheart alone in the darkness.

Amberheart could only sit in shock. Why had Dewfall turned so cold? She knew that she'd never be with Lilypool, but he didn't have to threaten and berate her. Was there something wrong with her?

Amberheart hung her head. Apparently her desire to both be a tom and to be with Lilypool was wrong, and she should be ashamed. Maybe Dewfall would be right to disown her.

* * *

_One moon later... _

* * *

Amberheart took one last look at the camp as she backed away. Cats were beginning to wake up, and she was glad that she'd gotten up before dawn.

Amberheart, or now just Amber, was leaving. She just felt she had no place in ThunderClan. Dewfall's words had gotten to her. She'd become increasingly depressed as the days went on, and Snowstorm was to busy with his kits to ask what was wrong. Meanwhile, Dewfall had kept her as far away as possible from Lilypool, which hurt Amber's heart.

Sighing, she took off, and never saw a ThunderClan cat ever again.

* * *

Two weeks later...

* * *

"You're going out?" Amber mewed. Before her stood a fellow rogue that she'd met, who'd introduced himself as Spruce. Even though she'd never had feelings for toms before, she had had to admit to herself that Spruce was a calm, kind, confident, and charming tom who could certainly help in a battle.

Spruce smiled and nodded, "I was going to surprise you with a nice, large rabbit, but you just had to wake up."

She smiled back, "Well I'm certainly not an el-" She caught herself, "Old cat."

Spruce laughed, "You remind me every day." He looked at the sky, "We should go now."

Not long later, they were in the thick of the forest, sniffing for prey, but all they could smell was an oddly familiar, disgusting scent. Looking around, Amber suddenly froze. Staring at her, yet slowly lumbering forward, was a badger. Amber couldn't even speak, all she could do was watch.

Spruce turned, "Badge-" but before he could finish, the badger lunged at him, snapping his neck, which dropped him like a stone.

"NO!" Amber wailed. She screamed as the badger turned towards her. Ready for dinner, the badger did the same thing he did to Spruce and effectively ended Amber's life. However, before she could die, Amber wished one last thing.

_ That StarClan would forgive her._

**A/N: **

**As I said, the last chapter of Amberheart, and the next chapter is the first chapter of ?**

** Will StarClan forgive her? Or him? **

**Remember guys, get your friends hooked on this story and continue reviewing! **

**R&R**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:**

** Two days in a row! Who's the main protagonist? Time to find out!**

* * *

_Chapter Five: _

* * *

Amber shook awake, gasping. She was in a bright clearing, the sun shining into her eyes. All she could scent was the forest surrounding the clearing, but nothing else.

"Oh, Amber, how things have changed," a voice mewed from behind. Startled, Amber swung her head around, and her mouth dropped open. Standing in front of her was her mother.

"Brightheart! You died?" She exclaimed. When she'd left, her parents had been perfectly healthy in the elder's den.

"Yes. A greencough epidemic. Swept through Clans. Don't worry though, All of your siblings are fine." Amber looked away guiltily. If she'd been there, maybe she could've helped.

As if reading her mind, Brightheart shook her head, "There was nothing you can do. Sadly, you were meant to find Spruce. However, that incident with the badger shouldn't have happened. You two should've been mates. You were supposed to have three wonderful kits named Frost, Alder, and Branch."

Amber frowned, "Why am I here though? I turned my back on the Clans!"

Brightheart sighed, "You only turned your back to yourself. You let your brother's ignorant words force you out of the Clans." She looked Amber in the eyes, "Amber, what if I told you you could be reborn."

Amber's eyes blinked, "Reborn as what?" This whole encounter was slightly confusing for her.

"You would be reborn as what you've always been meant to be, a tom." Brightheart replied.

Amber's eyes widened, "Really? I can become a tom? A real tom?"

Brightheart weakly smiled, "Yes, but a warning. Your life won't be easy if you're reborn. Do you choose to accept it?"

Amber quickly nodded, "Of course! This'll be great! How could there be any problems?"

Brightheart looked away, "Are you sure? You won't have any of your memories until you die again." For some reason, it seemed as if her mother was worried. Did she not want her to be a tom?

"I'll do it," Amber replied, her voice firm. This was her chance, she wasn't going to let it go.

Brightheart sighed, "Alright then, follow me." She began walking forward, and Amber followed. Eventually, they came upon a small puddle. "Alright," Brightheart mewed, "the Pool of Reincarnation. You are now one of a very select group of cats who have been reborn, including Cinderpelt, mentor of Leafpool, who mothered and mentored Jayfeather. Cinderpelt was reborn into the body of Cinderheart, and finally lived the life she deserved. Step in the Pool, and you shall become what should've been."

Taking a deep breath, Amber stepped into the small pool. After a few moments of nothing happened, she turned to Brightheart, "Nothing's happened!"

Brightheart smiled, "Why don't you look at your new pelt, Amber?" Confused, she looked at her fur, only to see that it was pitch-black, except for some gray on her chest and gray stripes on her tail. Gasping, she turned to Brightheart, who suddenly seemed a lot bigger.

"You are becoming what you were always supposed to be! You are now a tom!" Brightheart exclaimed. Amber realized that she was right. She-or he, was now a tom! Suddenly, he began getting so short that he began to drown.

"Help!" He squeaked as he tried to keep his new kit head above the water.

Brightheart shook her head, "Don't fight it!" Following Brightheart's orders, Amber simply let go, and he quickly sank into the bottom, but surprisingly, it was peaceful, and Amber found himself falling asleep, his small body drifting down the bottomless. Then, it all began blacking out, and his vision grew as dark as night.

* * *

_Snowstorm's POV: _

* * *

Snowstorm sighed as he stared at Amberheart's body in the center of the clearing. The body had been discovered a few days ago when a patrol heard a scream. Turns out they found Amberheart with another tom, both dead. They buried the tom and carried Amberheart's body back to camp. Jayfeather had concluded that a badger had killed her.

"Hey Snowstorm!" A voice called from across the clearing. It was Squirrelflight. "Are you okay with going on a border patrol with Mousewhisker, Owleyes, and Lionblaze?"

Snowstorm frowned. Mourning his sister would have to come later. "Sure!" He mewed. He jumped up to his feet and walked over to where Lionblaze and Mousewhisker were consoling Owleyes.

"But how could she die? I loved her! She may not've known yet, but I had loved her since I was an apprentice! How could she die?" Snowstorm overheard from Owleyes.

Coming up next to him, Snowstorm mewed, "Trust me, I loved her too. She was my sister, and she was awesome, but we have to move on. Now let's go on this patrol."

Owleyes shot him a pained look, but said nothing else. Lionblaze nodded and mewed, "Let's go." They followed the golden warrior out and into the forest. Eventually, while they were walking, they heard a she-cat's scream. Without saying a word, Lionblaze signaled for them to go, and they ran towards the sound.

Soon, they came upon a horrible sight. A she-cat was lying there dying, a horrible cut completely slicing through her belly. She screamed again as she saw them, but Lionblaze calmed her down with, "Don't worry. We're here to help. You'll be...fine." The patrol got closer to her, and Lionblaze continued, "What did this to you?"

"Claws," the she-cat gasped. Her eyes seemed to be nearly empty, but a tiny bit of life was tucked in. Before anyone on the patrol could say anything, she mewed, "His name...his...Night." Suddenly, she coughed, and then, she stopped breathing.

Owleyes stared in horror, frozen. "Who would do this?" He murmured. However, Snowstorm could scent something. The scent led him to a bush, and under that bush was a sleeping kit.

"Guys!" Snowstorm exclaimed, "Get over here!" As they gathered by him, he mewed, "That queen said his name was Night."

Owleyes looked at the kit with pity, "We need to take him back! He won't survive one day on his own!"

Mousewhisker nodded, and Lionblaze picked up the kit by his scruff. "Let's bring him back to camp," he mumbled through the kit's dark fur, which deeply contrasted his.

Snowstorm frowned to himself. Seedflight certainly wouldn't be able to take care of him, as their kits were three moons old already. Maybe Dewfall and Lilypool would accept the kit. Night would be nearly half a moon older than Lilypool's kits, but, she could probably manage. Night would have to play with Snowstorm's kits until Lilypool's were ready.

* * *

_Night's POV: _

* * *

Have you ever been woken up by strange cats carrying you away from the only life you've ever known? If so, then you know how Night felt when we woke to find himself being carried by his neck, surrounded by cats. His mother was nowhere to be found. "Who are you! Where's my mom?" He yelled, scared. Sure his mother had always been anxious, and she moved dens a lot, but at least she was affectionate!

"Don't worry Night, your mother...your mother told us to take care of you," an unknown cat said. Looking around, he saw that the voice came from a snow-white tom. Sighing, the soft motion of them moving forward slowly lulled him back to sleep.

Before he knew it, he was opening his eyes again, but this time he was in an area with a large amount of cats. He heard the voice again saying, "Let me take him. I'll bring him to Lilypool." Night was softly placed on the ground, but a moment later, the white tom picked him up again.

Soon, he found himself being placed down again, this time in front of another she-cat in a den that carried the scent of milk. Night looked at the she-cat. She looked similar to her mother, with splotches of brown, black, and white across her pelt. There were two toms and a she-cat with the cat, and they were all shorter than Night. Maybe his mother had told these cats to take care of him.

"Hey Lilypool," the tom mewed, "I know you've got your hands full, but we found this kit, and he needs a mother." Night stared at him. He had a mother! He didn't need another!

The she-cat named Lilypool looked down at him, her eyes doubtful, "He looks pretty big compared to Flintkit, Frostkit, and Dawnkit."

Snowstorm shook his head, "He looks only a moon old so they'll be the same size soon. Until then I'm sure Seedflight will let Duskkit and Blackkit play with him."

Lilypool looked at him, "What's his name?" Night was still confused with what was going on. Was his mother coming or not? What did this she-cat have to do with anything?

The tom replied, "His mother said that his name was Night." Night looked up at the tom. For some reason the tom seemed to be hoping for something, maybe he wanted Night's mother to come back too?

Lilypool smiled lightly, "I'm sure my kits will love him." Without warning, the tom picked him up, causing him to squeak in indignation. The tom placed him next to the three sleeping kits and left.

Looking up at Lilypool, Night mewed, "Do you know where my mother is?" He hoped that the she-cat could tell him, because he was becoming anxious.

Lilypool sighed, "Don't worry little one, your mother is fine. For now, you'll be staying with me. Now let's get you clean." Before Night could protest, her tongue began running over his pelt, fixing his ruffled pelt. It was relaxing, and Night found his eyes closing. Before he fell asleep, he thought to himself that maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

** A/N:**

** And there you have it! Night is your main protagonist! **

**Remember guys, I need five reviews to continue Echo of a Clan! **

**R&R**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **

**Thank you Gingy! Even if just one person sees the ad, I'll be happy. Yes I tricked you. Oh and Tansy, poor kit can only begin to describe Night. **

**This chapter is a bit more filler, but there'll be some good action next chapter, so don't be impatient. **

**Let's begin!**

* * *

_Chapter Six: _

* * *

Night's eyes blinked open. Where was he? He couldn't be with mother, because there were other kits with him, but the den smelled of milk and warmth, just like his old den.

Suddenly, he realized where he was. That strange tom had taken him in this den, and he had asked Lilypool to care for him. Thankfully, she had accepted.

As Night thought to himself, he didn't notice that one of the kits had gotten up. Slowly, the kit crept up to him and pounced. Startled, Night didn't defend himself from the kit, and he was pinned down. "Who are you?" The kit questioned.

"Lilypool!" Night cried, scared. Was the kit going to hurt him?

The giant cat next to them opened her eyes. "Flintkit, get off of your new littermate right now!" Lilypool scolded.

Eyes wide, Flintkit scrambled off of him, "New littermate?" As he spoke, Night noticed that the other kits were beginning to stir.

"Yes, Flintkit, he's going to stay with us for now," Lilypool sighed. Night yawned, and then his stomach growled. Smiling, Lilypool mewed, "Aw, are you hungry? Come here Night. Flintkit, wake Frostkit and Dawnkit up."

Grumbling to himself, Flintkit nudged his siblings awake as Night began feeding. After he finished, Night felt energy replace the tiredness he'd had not long ago. "Can I go outside!" He mewed, looking out the entrance.

Lilypool chuckled, "Of course, but first, get Duskkit and Blackkit." Before Night could ask where they were, Lilypool pointed her tail towards two larger kits, one a tom and one a she-cat.

"Thank you!" Night squeaked. He scrambled over to the two kits and began poking them with his nose.

When he poked the tom for the second time, the tom mumbled, "Go away Frostkit, I want to sleep." Smiling, Night nudged him again, and the tom got up. "Frostkit, for the last time..." The tom trailed off when he saw Night. "Who are you?" He mewed.

"I'm Night! I'm Flintkit's new littermate!" He mewed. Staring at the tom, he mewed, "What's your name?"

The tom stared back for a moment, but then mewed, "I'm Blackkit, and the sleeper here is my sister Duskkit. Are you waking us up because you want to explore the camp?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Night exclaimed. He smiled at the thought of going outside. His mother had never let him leave their den.

"Alright then," Blackkit mewed, nudging his sister. After he explained Night to her, they took off.

Once Night blinked the sun out of his eyes, he marveled at the size of the camp. It was giant! He also marveled at how many cats there were. Before he'd come here, he'd only seen his mother, now he could see easily over a dozen cats. However, some of the cats were staring at him, which unnerved him. What kind of scared him though, was the cat on the high ledge. It was a large, dark, tabby cat with piercing amber eyes, and he was staring right at Night.

Shaking it off, Night caught up to the two kits, who were standing in front of a large den. "This is the warrior's den. Never go in here without permission, or else you'll get in trouble." As Night nodded they continued on to the next den.

"Now this is the apprentice's den," Duskkit mewed, "we're going to be here in three moons!" When Night sent her a confused look, she sighed and said, "Whenever cats in ThunderClan reach the age of six moons, Bramblestar calls a ceremony, and turns the kits into apprentices."

"Why can't I be an apprentice? It sounds fun!" Night mewed. Both kits laughed, which made Night confused. Had he said something wrong?

Blackkit nudged him, "Trust me, we've been asking to become apprentices for three moons, it doesn't work."

Before they could move on, a familiar voice called to them, "Kits!" Turning, Night saw the white tom from the day before padding towards them.

"Snowstorm!" The two kits yelled, jumping over to Snowstorm. While Night watched, they began climbing up on their father.

"Ah! You guys are getting heavier!" Snowstorm mewed. Looking at Night, he beckoned him over, "Come here Night." Once he bounded over, Snowstorm continued, "So you've already met the kits, right? I'm sure they showed you around a bit, but before you do anything else, I want you to tell me, other than your mother, do you know any of your family?"

Night shook his head, and Snowstorm sighed, "I didn't think so. Now do you guys want to play mossball?"

Night stared at him, head tilted in confusion. Snowstorm smiled and mewed, "It's when you take a ball made out of moss and you hit it into the air. You have to try and keep it in the air while passing it back and forth."

After Blackkit and Duskkit jumped off of Snowstorm he left for a moment. When he came back, he had a large mossball in his teeth. Smiling, he tossed it up towards Blackkit, who smacked over to Night. Night tried to smack with his paw, but he missed and the mossball hit him square in the face.

Ignoring the laughter he heard, Night tossed the mossball up and hit it towards Duskkit, who continued the game.

Eventually, Snowstorm stopped the game and mewed, "Alright kits, you should be getting in the nursery now." While the kits protested, Night looked off into the distance. Something seemed off to him.

And that's when the war cries filled the air.

**A/N: **

**Wow! War cries! Three chapters in three days! A lot of awesome things! **

**Remember guys, if I get five reviews on any new chapter, like this one, I'll update Echo of a Clan.**

** Sorry that it's short, but I wanted to end on a cliffie, or as spellcheck calls it, a Clifford. **

**R&R!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: **

**And we're back! The streak of three in three days may have been broken, but we're still going strong. **

**T****o you Musicman, I appreciate it. I love to hear that someone looks forward to my stories. **

**Back to the war cries! **

* * *

_ Chapter Seven: _

* * *

"Uuuuuh...what is that?" Night mewed. The noise sounded scary, and the expression on Snowstorm's face made him just as uneasy.

"Kits, get back to the nursery. Now!" Snowstorm hissed. Eyes wide, they began scurrying towards the nursery. Snowstorm's kits made it, but the sight of cats bursting into the hollow stopped him in his tracks. Was this one of the other Clans?

Suddenly, a mangled ginger tom with half an ear jumped in front of him. When Night yelped in surprise, the tom laughed and inched closer. "Come here little kit," he mewed, "trust me, I won't hurt you."

Without realizing it, Night found himself stepping closer. However, once he started getting near the tom's mouth, a sudden force slammed into the tom, sending him dazed into the hard wall of the hollow. Night didn't recognize the cat, but he quickly mewed, "Thanks!" And sprinted back into the nursery.

When Night entered the nursery, he saw Lilypool and another she-cat standing in front of all of the other kits. When Lilypool saw him, she exclaimed, "Night!" She quickly picked him up and placed him into the nest with the others.

"What's going on?" Night mewed. That tom that had tried to take him had looked scary. Did he not have a mother?

Lilypool frowned, then replied, "It's a battle, Night. Just stay in that nest and you'll be fine." Night nodded, looking out. Was the tom going to come back for them?

Suddenly, a cat yowled, and the sounds of fighting stopped. "Hey!" A voice yelled into the den, startling Night, "Bring out the kit!"

"Why should I?" Lilypool yelled back. Night began trembling, scared. He had a very bad feeling about all of this.

"Well," the tom mewed, sticking a gray head through the entrance, "since we have claws at your leader's neck, and your group has surrendered, I'd suggest bringing him out. If you want, you can come with him, but bring him out." Lilypool growled, but turned to the other she-cat. "Keep my kits safe," she mewed. Without saying anything else, she picked Night up and began walking. Looking back, Night could only see the horrified looks on the kits' faces.

* * *

_ A few moments later... _

* * *

"Ah, I see you've brought out my lost kit, Sharp." The cat mewed. Looking at him, Night realized that he was on top of that large, scary cat from earlier. Was that ThunderClan's leader? The cat named Sharp nodded and sat next to Lilypool, who had wrapped herself protectively around Night as she listened. The cat continued, "Well, ThunderClan, as you can see, our superior group has defeated yours. We could choose to brutally murder anyone who refuses to join us, but since we're merciful, we only want one thing." The cat seemed to stare straight into Night's soul, and he mewed, "I want my son back. I want Night."

Night stared back. The cat was his father! He had found Night! Maybe his father would take him to see mother! Lilypool opened her mouth to protest, but closed it. Sighing deeply, she got up and began walking back to the nursery, but Night didn't notice. He was looking at his father.

Since he was focused on his father, he nearly yelled as he was startled by Sharp, who picked him up. Sharp carried him up the ledge, dropping him unceremoniously on the hard rock. However, Night understood that speaking wouldn't be helpful, so he just stayed silent and looked at his father.

"My, my, Night, you're beautiful. If you're mother hasn't told you yet, I am Styx, and you have a brother named Shade. We're going to take you home okay?" Night found himself nodding. He had a brother? Smiling, Styx looked out among the crowd of cats, "As you can see. The Claws always get our way. Now Sharp, you know the plan." Without warning, he sunk his claws into the large tom's neck, got up, picked Night up, and sprinted out. Chaos erupted behind them, but Styx never slowed down.

* * *

_ Two moons later... _

* * *

A heavy crushing force landed on Night, quickly waking him up. His eyes flew open to the sight of Shade on top of him, his teeth bared. Hissing, Night threw him off and got up, mewing, "Come on Shade, you know you can't beat me." He launched himself at Shade, sweeping his left side then slashing his right foreleg with a claw. Off-balance, Shade couldn't do anything when Night slammed him, knocking him to the ground.

"Kits!" A voice called. Both Night and Shade groaned. It was Eagle, the most annoying cat either of them knew. "You know you can't fight like that until you're a protégé!" She yelled, pushing Night off of Shade. Eagle sighed, "I don't know why you toms feel the need to assert dominance over everything, you're three moons old!"

"And we'll be protégés in three days!" Shade growled. Night nodded, baring his teeth at the she-cat. They were Styx's kits, why did they need to wait?

Those moons ago, Night had known nothing about the world, but know he knew enough. He knew that becoming a fearless fighter would lead to others respecting him, and future leadership of the Claws. Well, unless Shade could beat him there.

Styx had told him of what the world was. He had said that his mom couldn't take the rough life of a Claw, so she gave up and abandoned Night. He had said that Night had potential. That eventually he could be the best fighter in the forest. Night knew he was only three moons old, but he knew he couldn't let Shade get ahead of him. The two kits already had plenty of scars from their numerous quarrels, and Night even had a bit of the tip of his tail bitten off. Of course, Styx had encouraged it, and their healer Ember had kept anything from getting infected.

"Whatever, just don't think I can't give you a few scratches if you get out of line," Eagle mewed. "Just because you're Styx's sons, doesn't mean you can do anything."

"It also doesn't mean instructors can scold them for sparring," a familiar voice mewed. Grinning smugly, Night was delighted to see Sharp glaring at Eagle.

"Oh...uh, hey Sharp, just telling the kits to keep up the good work, "Eagle stammered, "They'll be instructors in no time!"

Sharp nodded, "I thought so." Sharp was Styx's second in command, he taught the kits battle techniques, he conducted training sessions, and he was a master at battle strategy, or so others said. He had thought of the plan to take out ThunderClan, and that had worked. He turned to the kits, "I'm here because Styx would like to talk with you two in his cave."

Styx slept in a large cave, with a small pool and even a small pile of prey, which was put together by the Servants. The Servants were cats who were considered weak, or who had committed acts of treason against the Claws. At the moment there were eight Servants, simply known as 1, 2, 3, and so on. Apparently one of them was a Clan cat once, named Nightcloud. There used to be another, but he had been executed for attempting to murder Styx. The others were older cats, except for one, who had a twisted paw.

"What for?" Night mewed. Styx only spoke to them when he was watching Sharp train them, or when there was something important to speak about, like about when they were becoming protégés.

"Something," Sharp mewed. He seemed emotionless as usual. According to rumors, Sharp had once had a mate before joining the Claws, but he spoke nothing about his past.

Sighing, the kits followed him outside, where he took them to a small entrance. Night smiled as he sensed the other cats in the camp looking at him. He'd be their leader when he was all grown up. Even Shade would bow to his will, and he would choose a second-in-command better than Sharp to advise him.

"Get in," Sharp mewed, watching the cats in the clearing. Grinning in anticipation, the kits padded inside. "Ah, kits," Styx's voice rang out in the cave, "I see Sharp has told you I bring news. Sit down."

Nodding, the kits sat in front of their father. Styx smiled, "I'm sure you two have been waiting a while to become protégés, am I right? While I have great news. Since most of these dumb brutes can't be trusted to do anything, I need my kin to be trained. Instead of allowing other Instructors to train you, I shall make you both protégés, and you'll start training tomorrow, what do you think?"

Both of the kits stared, their eyes wide. "That's great!" They chorused.

Styx's eyes glowed. He knew he'd have a successor. "Alright, you two go off and spar. I'll train you two tomorrow." He mewed. Nodding, the two of them ran out to continue their sparring. Though many would consider it brutal fighting, there wasn't much of a difference between sparring and fighting with the Claws.

**A/N:**

** Oh no! What happened to Night's innocence? He's been corrupted by evil! **

**Maybe reviewing will save him? Just kidding.**

** Thanks for over 400 views! **

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	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: **

**And we're back another day! Are you guys ready for Chapter 8? I know I'm not! :) **

**If you could, could you guys check out Imlegitdemigod's stories? He/she has the best cats in high school story I've seen in a long time. :D**

** Let me answer that Gingy, which one do you think came first? Claws or Clan? **

**Anyways, time for another part of Night's life!**

* * *

_Chapter Eight:_

* * *

Night yawned. It'd been another tough training session with Styx. If this was low-level fighting, then he certainly couldn't wait for advanced fighting.

It'd been two moons since him and Shade had been made protégés, and the two were still neck and neck. If Styx told them to race, it was always closer than a whisker-length. Styx was spoiling them as usual, and the two got smugger and more egocentric with every passing day.

Most of the cats stayed away from them in fear, as if the two would turn them into Servants if they spoke. However, some of the other protégés were friendly.

Night was about to fetch himself a mouse, when he heard a familiar voice behind him, yelling, "Night! You're back!"

Sighing, Night turned towards the barely tolerable she-cat, "Hello Leaf, is there anything you want?" The she-cat always bothered him after training sessions. Night didn't know why, but Leaf always followed him around like a Servant. It was kind of annoying, but at least Leaf didn't bow down and beg for him to not get her in trouble with Styx.

Leaf smiled, "I don't need anything, mouse-brain. I just wanted to know how you are, and if Styx taught you any cool moves!" Her bright green eyes staring, Leaf didn't say anything else.

"Is there any way this will help the Claws? Or anyone, for that matter?" Night replied. Why was she so determined to get close with him? Did she want to be friends with her future leader?

"Well then," Leaf huffed, "if you want to be rude, then I don't have to stay here!" She continued, her voice flooded with sarcasm, "If I am bothering you Master, then I am sorry. I guess to make you happy I must grovel, am I correct?"

Normally, at an outburst like this, Night would growl and call for Sharp or Styx, but something in the fierceness Leaf was showing him made him pause. Where had the kind, annoying Leaf gone? Leaf shook her head and walked away, muttering under her breath, "Coward." Night stared after her, then shook his head. Where had his mind been? He should've gone straight to Styx and gotten Leaf kicked out of the Claws, but he didn't. It must've been a moment of weakness.

"Night." A voice whispered, making him jump. Night quickly spun around, seeing Sharp looming above him. "May I give you some advice?" He mewed. Night nodded, and Sharp continued, "Don't take what you have for granted, because it might someday disappear." Before Night could ask him what he meant, Sharp turned and walked away. Night shook his head and went to get his mouse.

* * *

_The next morning..._

* * *

Night opened one eye, groaning. Shade had just pushed him awake, and Night felt as if he had crushed his paw. "What was that for?" He mewed, annoyed.

Shade laughed, "It's for letting a dumb she-cat stomp all over you!" He was smirking as if Night had just been exiled from the Claws.

"What?" Night mewed, a bit groggy. When had a she-cat stomped all over him? Shade chuckled, "A little birdie told me that you allowed Leaf to chew you out in the middle of the camp, which I find hilarious. Is that what a true leader would do?"

"Hey! Leaf is not dumb! And she wasn't chewing me out, I was letting her take out her frustrations!" Night hissed, even though he knew it was a lie.

Shade's smirk grew, "Not dumb? It seems as if you're defending an inferior member of the Claws, why is that? Does the great Night like someone? Styx has never let a she-cat slow him down, not even our mother!"

"Why you little..." Night growled. He pounced on Shade, bowling him over.

Claws unsheathed, Shade quickly flipped him off, and got up on four feet. "Wouldn't you rather settle this in front of our father?" He mewed, satisfaction dancing in his eyes.

Night narrowed his eyes, "If it gets me as leader, I'd do anything, including kill you in a fight!" His brother was more insufferable than even Eagle, and Eagle was quite a bit to handle.

Feigned surprise appeared on Shade's face, "Kill me? What kind of monster would do that? You wouldn't kill me like Styx did with our mother, would you?"

The last words caught Night, "What did you say? What about Styx and our mother?" He didn't say what Night thought he'd said, did he?

Shade grinned, "Oh, yes. I'm surprised you haven't been told yet. I was told a while ago that when our coward of a mother left, Styx went out with Sharp and brutally murdered her. I heard that he enjoyed every last bit of it. Once he found out she'd taken you, he got you back, though I don't know why."

Night was shocked, and it showed in every bit of his being. His father had murdered their mother? He'd been told that she had abandoned him. Without realizing, he found himself nearly hyperventilating. Eyes wide, he sat down, eyes on the floor. "Are you telling the truth?" He whispered.

"Of course I am, brother. Why would I lie about such a beautiful story? Now get up, or do you want to explain to father why you're late?" Shade replied. Shaking his head, Night got up and stumbled out into the camp, in a daze. Shade laughed and began guiding him out and towards their training area.

* * *

_Later, at camp..._

* * *

Night trudged into camp, groaning. It'd been his worst training session ever. Styx had kept asking if he felt ill, but Night couldn't look at him without seeing a murderer. If being a fearless fighter meant killing your mate, Night wasn't sure he could be one.

Head down, Night padded towards a corner and collapsed. How could his father have kept this from him. He had been lied to for nearly five moons, and Styx hadn't given a hint of remorse. Did his father even care about him, or did he just want a successor?

Suddenly, he felt a warm pelt and a familiar scent at his side. "I thought you hated me," Night rasped, miserable.

"Aw, come on, Night," Leaf mewed, "I was just tired of you pushing me away." She licked his cheek, "What's wrong?"

Night felt like flinching away, but he forced himself not to. He hadn't close contact with any cat in a long time, at least not like this. He could almost feel the concern radiating from Leaf. He sighed, "I...I received some news this morning."

Leaf tilted her head in questioning, "How bad was it?" Even though Night knew she was being genuine in her concern, he couldn't help feeling like she was going to tell Shade about how much of a coward he was.

Suddenly, it all poured out, "Well, well, Shade was teasing me, and then, we fought. A moment later, he pushed me off and he told me..." Night shook his head and continued, "He told me that my mother was murdered by Styx in cold blood, and that he'd enjoyed it. He's been lying to me for so long! Styx told me she abandoned me!"

Leaf pushed closer against him, forcing his head to rest on her fur. "I thought you knew," she mewed softly.

Night closed his eyes, "You were right, Leaf, I'm a coward. A mouse. I should've asked Styx about it, but I just couldn't!"

Leaf touched her nose to the top of Night's head. "Night," she mewed, "you are braver than Shade and Styx combined. Anyone who can laugh about murders doesn't deserve to live."

Night opened his eyes and glanced up at Leaf, "I don't think I can stay here much longer."

Leaf smiled wistfully, "That'd be wonderful, but surely they'd look for us, right?"

"Maybe, who knows?" Night mewed. He felt content just laying there, and he barely noticed the sun slowly setting on their day. He was certain of one thing though.

His father would pay for what he'd done.

**A/N: **

**Ooooooooh! Rebellious Night! **

**So one day Leaf is mad at him, the next day she snuggles up with him? What's up with her? =3 **

**I was watching when the last chapter came out, and the views went up and up and up, but then, they stopped. Right. At. 498. So close to five hundo! **

**Anyways, R&R!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: **

**Welcome back to Breaking Boundaries Version 9.0! **

**I'm kind of glad you guys are shipping Night X Leaf. :/ **

**Anyways, back to the story of little reborn Amber!**

* * *

_Chapter Nine:_

* * *

"Night?" A soft voice whispered into his ear, waking him up. Night had been having a wonderful dream. Though he didn't remember what it was, it had something to do with warmth, and his mother?

Without moving or opening his eyes, Night hissed quietly, "What do you want, father?" He sensed Leaf a few tail-lengths away, breathing softly.

"Can a father not talk to his son anymore?" Styx mewed, his voice holding hints of hostility. Sighing, Night let Leaf's sweet scent curl into his nostrils once more before he got up and padded out and towards his father's den, while ignoring his father.

* * *

_ In the den..._

* * *

"Soooo..." Styx mewed, eyes narrowed, "I've noticed that you have been slacking off in training lately." It was true. Night just didn't feel that burning ambition to become leader that he'd once had. Leaf had showed him how bad some of their rules were. Many of the Servants were normal cats who'd been forced into horrible servitude. Many of the Claws lived fear, hoping Styx wouldn't proclaim them weak and force them to become Servants.

Night glared back, "Have you ever thought that I might want to be my own cat, or do you think you're perfect?"

Styx laughed, "Are you kidding me? Everyone in this group looks up to me. They love me." However relaxed he sounded, he couldn't hide the fact that his fur was beginning to bristle.

Night stood up, "They fear you! Sharp would be a much better leader!" Rage bubbled in his chest as he glared daggers into Styx's eyes without backing down.

Styx got up as well, and the two were barely whisker-lengths apart. "Even better," he hissed, "cats who can't handle my leadership would never survive alone!"

Night bared his fangs, "Even Shade would be a better leader than you!" If his father wasn't a leader, Night would've fought him right then and there, but then Night wouldn't be among the living anymore.

"Get out!" Styx yelled, his face contorted in anger. "You've failed me, and all because of that manipulating she-cat! She'll betray you sooner or later, and then you'll beg for me to love you, but as far as I'm concerned, you aren't my son."

"I'm glad about that," Night mewed, turning to leave. Ignoring the stare he felt on his back, he stormed out and back to his den. Growling to himself, Night got back in his nest and curled up, falling asleep not long later.

* * *

_ The next morning..._

* * *

Night woke up to the sounds of cats in a rush. Flipping his eyes open, he quickly noticed that Leaf was gone. What confused him, though, was that it was only dawn. Why were people moving around? Noticing Shade moving past, Night called out to him, "Hey brother! What's going on?"

Shade turned to him, a small smile on his face, "Oh, nothing. It's just that your new mate's gone missing and everyone is making a search party." Before Night could even process his answer, Shade padded away.

Night quickly got up and ran out. There was a group of cats forming, but Night didn't want to wait. Ignoring a few calls, he rushed out of the camp. Following the sweet scent of Leaf, he found himself getting farther and farther from camp. Eventually, the scent stopped, and Night found himself staring at his nightmare. Right in front of him lay the body of none other than Leaf. Leaf stomach had been brutally ripped open, blood and guts everywhere.

Night could only stare in open-mouthed shock. How was this happening? This was the sweet she-cat who he'd slept right next to only the night before! Breathing heavily, Night rushed to the clean part of Leaf's body and dug his nose into her fur, which was beginning to stiffen. Leaf's beautiful scent was beginning to fade, being replaced by the horrible stench of death.

A while later, he was still pressed up against Leaf when some noises came from the bushes. When a voice mewed, "Hello?" Night could only look up in despair. Thank god Shade wasn't there. There were a few cats in front of him, and he knew none of them. Night barely noticed when they took her body. Instead of following, he curled up and stared at the depression showing where Leaf had been, dead.

Somehow, Night eventually forced himself to walk back to camp. Half-stumbling, Night pushed through the entrance. However, when he came in, he heard cries of, "Traitor!" "Murderer!" "There he is, grab him!"

Night didn't resist as a few cats pinned him down, bruising his shoulder. Night closed his eyes in grief as the cats carried him to the center of camp, right by Leaf's dead body. Styx was on his perch, staring down at Night, triumph in his eyes.

"Claws! What we have here is a traitor!" Styx called, "He murdered this sweet, innocent she-cat in cold blood, like a monster! Just look at him, you can almost taste the guilt coming off of him!" Cats jeered at Night, but he only blankly stared back at his horrible father.

"Now now," Styx mewed, "We can't just execute him. He'll be kept in the healer's den until I figure out what to do with him. Ember," he nodded to the healer, "please escort him into your den." Before Night knew it, he was lying down in the healer's den while Ember inspected his shoulder. Night felt his consciousness slowly drift away, until the world went dark.

* * *

_A few weeks later..._

* * *

Night's eyes flipped open as he heard a familiar commotion out in the clearing. "Who's missing," he rasped to Ember, who was staring outside intently.

"Sharp," Ember mewed without looking over. Night's stomach growled, but he ignored it as usual.

Over the past few weeks, Night had rarely ate, and he was getting thinner and thinner as the days went on, but he survived. The only way he found out what was happening outside was through Ember.

Without warning, Ember rushed out. Curious, Night got up and looked out, where he saw a large search group, including Ember, leaving. Narrowing his eyes, Night snuck up towards Styx's den, and slipped in.

Styx was laying with his back to Night, asleep. However, as Night got really close, he mewed, "Come to kill me?" He got up and stared at Night. He smirked and continued, "You're nothing more than skin and bones. You'll be as easy to kill as that weak mate of yours."

A red haze filled Night's vision, and a vicious rage filled his heart. Yowling, he plunged his claws deep into his father's throat before Styx could move a muscle. Night pushed harder and harder, and all he could hear was the satisfying sound of Styx gurgling his own blood. Night laughed as he watched his father convulse. He knew he'd make his father pay. Laughing louder, he watched Styx until his father finally breathed his final breath. Eyes dancing in triumph, Night turned and ran out, realizing that if they caught him, he'd be killed. Blood drying on his pelt as he ran out into the forest, Night could only focus on one thing.

He'd made his father pay.

**A/N: **

**Wow, dark stuff. First Leaf is murdered, and then Night gets revenge, and loves it.**

** I'm sorry to break up the Night X Leaf shipping. :( **

**Anyways, have a great time and R&R!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:**

**Welcome back to the big one-oh chapter. We're a decade through with this story! Heh. **

**Okay, this fic should be in either the high 20's or low 30's in chapters, so we're possibly about a third through.**

**I really wish I had the creativeness to think of a plot that would span six books. That'd be great. :b**

**Sorry guys, but Leaf's death was necessary. :)**

**So since Sharp disappeared, and Night killed Styx, what happened to the Claws? What about Shade?**

**One more thing, even with this really long Author's Note. There's some contact with a Clan in this chapter. :D**

* * *

_Chapter Ten:_

* * *

Night growled to himself. His prey had been stolen, again! He assumed that it was because his size made him look unthreatening. However, if any of those cats wanted to fight, he'd be ready.

It was extremely irritating though. He took one look away and a cat was dragging away a hard-earned rabbit. Sighing, he walked forward, away from the hunting grounds he'd inhabited the past few weeks.

It'd been a moon since he'd left the Claws, and he still felt no regret. Sure, he'd grown a bit thinner, but he could take it.

All of a sudden, Night scented something that made his nose wrinkle. Some sort of weird scent was hanging around the tree line. Shaking his head to rid his senses of the scent, Night moved forward, but the scent stuck in his nose. Whose scent was this, and why was it everywhere?

Suddenly, a voice growled out to him, "If you're looking for prey, you better look elsewhere." Night looked to his side, seeing three cats, one his size, baring fangs towards him.

Night yawned, "No, I think here is a great place." He certainly hadn't come this way to be forced off.

The cat in front grinned, turning to the smaller cat, "Wolfpaw, take him."

The smaller one unsheathed his claws, "I'd be glad to, Ferretclaw." The tom named Wolfpaw pounced towards Night, clearly aiming for his back.

Night rolled to the side, and when Wolfpaw landed on the ground with a thump, he got on top and dug his claws into the apprentice's back, twisting them as the tom screamed in pain.

Gasping, the tom named Ferretclaw lunged forward and ripped Night off. Tossing him to the side, he mewed to the other cat, "Get Littlecloud! Quickly!" As the cat left, he turned to Night. "You're going down, kit," he spat.

Hissing, Night launched himself towards the cat, knocking him to the ground, but wrenching his paw on the ground in the process. Grimacing, Night turned to see Ferretclaw barreling towards him. He tried to dodge, but his paw wouldn't allow it.

Stars filled his vision as he was slammed back, his head slamming into a rock. Groaning, Night opened his eyes. Through his blurry vision, he could see a few cats arriving, with two of them padding towards him. He tried to warn them away, but all that came out was another groan.

The cat in front of him was saying something to him, but it was all garbled, so Night closed his eyes. He quickly went unconscious.

* * *

_Later..._

* * *

"...okay?" Mewed a voice, breaking through into Night's conciousness and jolting him awake. He opened his eyes, but winced and squinted immediately. The light hurt. The cat who'd said something to him was a small she-cat who was pressing something on his foreleg. "Are you okay?" The she-cat repeated.

Night softly whispered, "Who are you?" Whatever the she-cat was doing was working, because Night felt better than he had before.

The she-cat put down her herb, mewing, "I'm Mintpaw, apprentice to Littlecloud, medicine cat of ShadowClan. You have a bad head injury, and if you get up, I'll make it worse, so don't move, got it?" When Night only stared back, she mewed, "I thought you would, now let me apply these herbs."

Night's eyes were wide. He was back in a Clan? He never knew there were groups other than ThunderClan and the claws. He grimaced as a herb was placed on a long cut along his side, but stayed silent.

"So," Mintpaw mewed, "How exactly were you provoked into nearly killing Wolfpaw?"

Angry, Night jumped up, ignoring the pain and dizziness, "Ferretclaw sent him to kill me! He deserved it!"

Expecting Mintpaw to back off, he was surprised when she got up and snarled at him, "What did I say? Sit down!" Startled, Night rushed back down. "Never, ever, say my brother deserved to die!" Mintpaw hissed.

Night stared in shock. For some reason, the dumb she-cat held an aura of authority around her, which was pushing Night back. Night looked out the entrance, "May I go now?"

Mintpaw laughed coldly, "No, you'll be staying here until Littlecloud clears you. So stop acting like a kit and stay still."

Night rolled his eyes, mewing, "And what gives you the right to keep me here?"

Mintpaw sighed, "Do I really have to go over this? Typical rogue." Clearing her throat, she continued, "There are four Clans around the lake, ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and the dark, dreary, wonderful ShadowClan. You are sitting in ShadowClan land. We live in a camp, with a leader, and a second-in-command known as a deputy. We have a medicine cat, who sometimes has an apprentice like me. We have queens, who care for the kits that become apprentices, and the apprentices are taught by warriors until they become warriors, and eventually some become queens, deputies, and leaders. Once you grow old, you become a lazy lump of fur known as an elder. Got that?" Mintpaw shook her head, seemingly disgusted, and began picking up her herbs. She turned her head, "Oh, and we can keep you here because you trespassed," she bared her fangs, "and we don't allow trespassers around here."

Night stared after the she-cat, puzzled. Who had slipped ants in her nest? Yawning, he settled down, the thumping pain in his head growing. Somehow, he managed to fall asleep, and the pain faded.

* * *

_Shade's POV:_

* * *

Shade paced in the clearing, waiting for the search party to return. Of all times, why did Sharp disappear now? If he had left, Styx would appoint a new second-in-command, and Shade would have to wait even longer to rise to the position of leader.

Thankfully though, his brother had been...taken out of the equation, so he wouldn't be a problem. He was still moping around half-dead in Ember's den.

Shade's head flew up to view the entrance as the patrol came through. Why had Ember gone? Ember padded up to Shade, dipped his head, and mewed, "I'm sorry, Shade, Sharp is gone."

Shade's eyes narrowed, suspicious, "And just why did you leave the traitor alone?" He knew Night hadn't escaped, because he had been standing at the entrance the entire time, watching.

Fear crept into Ember's eyes, "I'm sorry Shade, I wanted to help." Even though Ember was seasons older, he bowed down to a young, not yet grown tom. Though Shade could understand. He had been taught the most ferocious and brutal battle tactics that you could imagine, and could undoubtedly kill the weak healer.

"Get up," Shade snapped, irritated, "Go check the prisoner." Ember quickly nodded and hurried towards his den.

However, Shade yelled in surprise as a dark, lithe shape sprung past the patrol and into the forest. "Wait!" He called, before anyone moved, "Let the prisoner go, by the time we leave, he'll be far away. Now go report to Styx!" He looked outside as the patrol went into Styx's cave, wondering what Night would do.

A yowl broke into his thinking, and the words both horrified and excited him, "Styx has been murdered by the prisoner!" His father was dead? He'd be leader now! But, his father was dead. The cat who taught him all he knew was gone.

Shade sighed and watched as the patrol dragged out his father. His father's throat had been nearly ripped out, its contents still leaking, leaving a trail of dark red as the patrol laid him out in the middle of camp.

Shade jumped up to his father's former meeting place. "Claws!" He yowled, as the crowd grew. As they stared at him, he continued, "Since my father is dead, and Sharp has disappeared, I am appointing myself as leader!"

"You're barely more than a kitten! Why should we listen to you?" A voice called from the crowd. The crowd began murmuring, but when Shade raised his tail, they stopped.

"Who said that?" Shade yelled, "Come forward!" Surprisingly, a cat shambled forward, eyes blank.

Shade blinked. What had just happened? Any normal cat would've stayed in the crowd. "Tell me, why can't a younger cat lead?" He mewed, an edge to his voice.

"They can, but I am insecure. I can't let an extremely young cat rule me, as I am seasons older," the cat responded in a monotone voice. The crowd, was completely silent now, nearly all frightened.

Shade grinned. He didn't know why, but he was having some sort of effect on the cats when he asked them something or ordered them around. Thinking, he mewed, "Go to the Servants. You are now one of them."

The cat nodded, the monotone voice mewing, "Of course, leader." The cat stumbled over to the Servants. Everyone was surprised, and the Servants stared in shock at their new member.

Shade laughed, "We need a new home, Claws. From now on, you follow me, and you shall not desert unless I give you specific permission. Everyone, get ready. We leave at sunset."

**A/N:**

**What's this? Night's entered ShadowClan on the wrong foot, and Shade has found a dangerous power.**

**What shall become of the two brothers? Will they ever meet again? How do the Clans fit into all of this? Read on!**

**R&R!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note:**

**Hello once again, loyal readers! Today we are back with another chapter.**

**Gingy, I already said that Echopaw wouldn't be back unless I got five reviews on a chapter, but that hasn't happened yet. I've gotten four and three reviews on every chapter.**

**I never really had ideas for a main plot in Cat and Mouse, so the story is basically in limbo. As of now, I want to focus on this. If a chapter gets five reviews, I'll begin to update Echo of a Clan at least once or twice a month.**

**This chapter will feature another appearance from Shade and the Claws. **

**Anyways, back to ShadowClan!**

* * *

_Chapter Eleven:_

* * *

Night sighed, looking up at the slowly rising sun. What had he gotten himself into. He was stuck in a den with an old tom and an easily agitated she-cat, in an unfamiliar camp, and he had a feeling he wouldn't be allowed to leave once he was healed.

He did have one thing he wanted to at least try to do. He'd grown tired of all the constant scolding and glaring from Mintpaw, and he knew there was only one way to fix it. He was reluctant to do it, but it had to be done.

Taking a deep breath, he padded towards Mintpaw, who was piling some herbs up in a corner. "Hey Mintpaw," he mewed, focusing on the ground, "Can I tell you something?"

Mintpaw glanced up, "Are you here to slander my brother? Or me? Or any ShadowClan member? If so, get away from me. If not, get away from me, I'm busy."

Night shuffled his paws, "Come on Mintpaw, don't be like that. I just want to say something, okay? Give me a second or two."

Mintpaw sighed and turned towards him, "Fine. Get it out quickly, or I'll claw myself and say you did it."

Night stared at her for a moment, alarmed, but composed himself and mewed, "Okay, Mintpaw. I know this, well, it may not help anything, but I'm sorry for attacking and insulting your brother." A breath later, he reluctantly added, "I'm also sorry for...for disrespecting you and your...high position in this Clan."

Mintpaw smiled, "I don't know whether you mean any of that, but I'll accept it. Maybe we can be something close to friends now. Or not." She shrugged.

"What do you mean or not?" Night asked. He was really confused by Mintpaw's seemingly bipolar personality.

She laughed, "You are a mouse-brain, Night. It depends on whether or not you can respect she-cats such as I, though you may find that hard."

Night blinked, "Respect she-cats? When have I ever disrespected a she-cat before?"

Mintpaw laughed, "For StarClan's sake, you are clueless! You've disrespected me ever since you've been in ShadowClan! Oh, I forgot something. Rowanstar told Littlecloud and I that he wanted to see you. You should go now."

Night shook his head, "Alright then. I guess I'll see you later." He stood up, the ache in his head barely there anymore.

* * *

_In the leader's den..._

* * *

"Is there something you need, Rowanstar?" Night mewed as he sat down in front of the leader. This leader's den was certainly much smaller than...his former father's den.

"Yes. Yes there is," the leader mewed. Looking him over, he said, "How would you feel about joining us? We can offer you protection, and more food than you would probably get on your own."

Maybe it would be worth it to join them, Night thought to himself. He would be protected from the Claws. "Deal," he mewed.

Rowanstar nodded, "Of course, we can't just let you in. We'll give you a moon to prove that you can be loyal, and if you are, then you'll be welcomed as a full member of ShadowClan. Okay?" When Night nodded, he added, "I'll announce it to the Clan soon. For now, get some rest, and we'll begin evaluating your skills tomorrow."

Night nodded, and began his trek back to his nest in Mintpaw and Littlecloud's den. Hopefully he'd have a peaceful sleep, and he could show these warriors what he was made of.

* * *

_Shade's POV:_

* * *

Shade grinned as the group moved through their former territory. He still couldn't believe he'd taken control so easily, and he had an ability to control minds! He could rule anything if he wanted to.

Suddenly, he had an idea. "Stop!" He called, and felt a rush of satisfaction as everyone immediately paused in what they were doing and stared at him.

Shade began to pace, and began speaking, "I have a feeling that some of you don't have a true sense of loyalty to me yet. So, may the ones who believe in me, the ones who are truly loyal, step forward." Without objection, around a quarter of the group shuffled forward.

"Good," he mewed, "You cats who stayed back are the fourth tier, while those that have stepped forward are the third tier."

Stepping up to the cats, noticing most were young cats who'd just finished their time as protégés. "May the cats in the third tier who would kill me if given the opportunity step back." Unsurprisingly, only a few remained. Shade smiled, "You cats are the second tier, while I am tier one. Tier two, you are my personal guards, and my advisors. You will also make sure everyone in the third tier stays loyal. Third tier, you are the supervisors, you watch over the fourth tier, and if needed, you can injure the uncooperative ones."

"Ember!" Night called. Where was the coward hiding? Of course, he was back in the fourth tier.

"Y-yes?" Ember mewed, slinking forward, as cowardly as ever.

Shade sighed, "Groveling won't gain you anything Ember. Since I know no other replacement, you shall continue to be our healer, but if you don't find a protégé soon, you might have a little talk with the second tier. Got it?" Nodding, Ember gulped and scrambled back into the crowd.

Shade rolled his eyes, then continued, "Fourth tier, you have a simple job. Serve. You will do whatever a higher rank tells you, and you shall do it without question. If not, we'll leave you to the mercy of the supervisors.

Glancing at the slowly setting sun, Shade mewed, "Let's get moving again."

* * *

_Night's POV:_

* * *

"Come on you lump of fur, get up!" A voice came, breaking his dreamless sleep. A moment later, he felt the cat push him.

Scrambling up, Night opened her eyes to see Mintpaw waiting impatiently. He back up from her and mewed, "I'm awake! I'm awake!"

Smiling, Mintpaw mewed, "Good. You have your first training session with Smokepaw and Tigerheart. Just a warning, Smokepaw is very annoying, and he loves getting to cats. Ignore him."

Nodding, Night licked down some stray furs and rushed out. He found Tigerheart and Smokepaw near the entrance. Tigerheart seemed calm, but the apprentice seemed like he was going to die if they didn't leave that second.

As he got close, Smokepaw sighed and said, "Thank StarClan you showed up. Are rogues really so slow to get up? Or are you just lazy?" Tigerheart sent the apprentice a warning glance, and the apprentice shot back an innocent look.

Night suppressed a growl. Mintpaw was right, this tom'd be hard to handle.

* * *

_At the training area..._

* * *

"Attack me," Tigerheart mewed. He was standing in a defensive stance in front of Night. Smokepaw was watching from the side, smirking.

"You're going to let the rogue kit attack you?" Smokepaw mewed, mock amazement written in his expression. Grinning, he added, "He'll probably pounce and miss you completely, then he'll whine."

When Night began growling, Tigerheart glanced at him and mewed, "Calm down." Turning to Smokepaw, he scolded, "If you say one more thing, you'll be in the elder's den until the next Gathering!"

When Smokepaw nodded innocently, Tigerheart turned back to Night and repeated, "Attack me."

Ready, Night swiftly pounced towards Tigerheart, but instead of going straight for him, he went over him, and landed behind. Tigerheart quickly flipped over, his front paws facing Night. Night attempted to sweep his paws from under him, but as he tried, Tigerheart surged forward, knocking him onto the ground panting. Before he could move, Tigerheart pinned his shoulders down, effectively ending the sparring.

Smokepaw laughed, "Who taught you those moves, rogue? Your kittypet mother?" At the mention of his mother, Night slipped away from Tigerheart and moved towards him until they face-to-face.

"What did you say about my mother?" Night growled, glaring daggers straight into Smokepaw's eyes.

"Did I stutter?" He replied, "I said your mother is a weak cat who lives with Twolegs and depends on them for everything. Your father and your mother's Twolegs probably abandoned you because they didn't want you. Your mother was glad to see you go, I bet."

A familiar red haze filled Night's vision. "You. Know. Nothing!" He hissed. Unsheathing his claws, Night grabbed the surprised apprentice and threw him on the ground. He pounced on Smokepaw, tearing cuts deep in his belly. Voices in his head were telling him to kill the insolent apprentice, but before he could, claws pierced his back and tore him off of Smokepaw.

"What is wrong with you?" Tigerheart growled at him. He looked at his apprentice, "Can you get up?" He mewed.

Smokepaw struggled, but he somehow hobbled onto his paws. Tigerheart glared at Night, "Rowanstar is going to kill you. Come with us." Night sighed. He had gotten out of control. Time to be judged by the very cat that told him Night had to show loyalty the day before. Great.

* * *

_At camp..._

* * *

The moment they reached camp, Night rushed into the medicine cat's den and rushed over to Mintpaw. "I couldn't handle it," he mewed.

Mintpaw tilted her head, "Couldn't handle what?" Suddenly, Tigerheart and Smokepaw stepped in. "Oh StarClan," she muttered, "I'm sorry that you'll have to leave Night, and I understand why you did it." Looking to make sure Tigerheart wasn't looking, she whispered, "Join ThunderClan. They'll take you in. Then we can meet up every once in a while. In fact, go now, before Rowanstar gets ahold of you."

Nodding nervously, Night rushed out, ignoring the angry call of Tigerheart as he burst into the forest. Thank goodness Mintpaw had told her where each Clan was. Now, he only needed to convince their leader to let him join, or else he would have to return to the life of a rogue.

And secretly, he couldn't bear being alone again.

**A/N: **

**Awwwww...Poor Night. Stupid red haze. No one likes you. Go home, you're drunk red haze.**

**I really want to kill Littlecloud off. He's too old for my taste, but not yet.**

**Will ThunderClan accept Night? Who knows? Ok, maybe me, but you guys should just R&R!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:**

**I have an idea for a sequel, though I probably won't start it right after this story. Once this is done, I probably will try and revive An Echo of a Clan. I also have some oneshot ideas. One of them correlates to an event that comes later in this fic. One has to do with Fleetfoot in An Echo of a Clan. Hopefully I'll get to them up and I won't forget about them.**

**I also thought up of a spin-off story that I just published having to do with Dewfall's ignorant words to Amberheart in chapter three or four. It isn't a fleshed out plot yet, but I'll be able to update it on the side of this story every few weeks.**

**This chapter will not feature Shade, though he will be featured in a chapter or two. What would you guys do with the power of mind control? I'd convince my government to stop being corrupt and to work together. As my dad says, all political figures are crooks (Some aren't but they're rare). **

**One question: What do you guys think I can do better with my writing? Try and be serious.**

**Anyways, back to Night and his misadventures!**

* * *

_Chapter Twelve:_

* * *

Night looked around. The trees were changing just as Mintpaw had described. Which meant he wasn't far from ThunderClan territory. Hopefully, he'd run into a ThunderClan patrol before Nightfall.

Suddenly, he came to a part where two strong smells collided. Assuming it was the border, Night crossed and sat, waiting for a patrol.

Not long later, he heard some voices. Though he caught none of the words, he could tell they were cheerful. Hopefully he'd caught them in a good mood.

A moment later, he heard one mew, "Wait! There's a rogue around here!" Smiling, Night waited. Soon, he would be back in ThunderClan.

"Why are you on ThunderClan territory?" A young voice mewed.

"Hush, Duskpaw," an older one mewed, climbing out of the shadows. Behind him came three more, one his size and the others adult sized. "So," the cat mewed, "Why are you here rogue?"

"Simple," Night replied, "I want to speak to Bramblestar." Thankfully, Mintpaw had given him the leader's names. He now knew not only Rowanstar, but Onestar, Bramblestar, and Mistystar. He also knew that Onestar was slowly dying and that his deputy Crowfeather would soon be leader.

"And how exactly do you know our leader's name? In fact, how do you know about ThunderClan?" The cat mewed, his eyes narrowing.

"I have my ways," Night mewed. Smiling, he added, "I was told of the Clans, and by far, yours seemed the greatest."

Sighing, the cat mewed, "Flattery won't get you in our camp." He was resisting, but Night could sense he was weakening.

"Of course flattery won't get me into your camp. You will. Though it won't be my first time in there." Night smirked. If they remembered, they wouldn't dare push him away.

"I remember you! Your name's Night, right?" The cat his size, the she-cat named Duskpaw mewed. Thinking, Night remembered her. She was one of the two kits who'd showed him ThunderClan camp so many moons ago.

"I said quiet, Duskpaw!" The cat snapped. One of other cats barely suppressed a giggle.

"Sorry Birchfall," Duskpaw muttered, her face so unnecessarily dismayed it was nearly comical, but Night kept a straight face.

Birchfall turned to him, thoughtful. "I think I remember you, so I think Bramblestar wouldn't mind speaking with you. Here, come with us," He mewed.

While Night dipped his head, completely polite, on the inside, he was rejoicing.

After they began on their walk back, Night found himself walking next to Duskpaw. Nudging her to get her attention, he mewed, "How'd you recognize me? I haven't been here in nearly 7 moons."

"My mother Seedflight told me that the last time she'd seen a ThunderClan cat with fur as dark as yours, she'd been a kit. She said her name was Hollyleaf." Duskpaw chirped, smiling cheerfully.

"Huh," Night mewed intrigued. He knew he had dark fur, but he didn't think his fur was that dark. Looking over to Birchfall, he mewed, "Is he your mentor? You seem to like him."

"No he's not, Blossomfall is," Duskpaw mewed, pointing her tail to one of the cats. Blossomfall was a she-cat, and the cat he didn't know was a tom. "I do have to respect Birchfall though. He's the leader of this border patrol."

Night looked forward. Hopefully Bramblestar wouldn't reject him due to his father taking a life from him.

Soon, he'd be ThunderClan.

* * *

_In the camp..._

* * *

Night could feel some cats staring at him the moment he walked in. He could sense their suspicion. Duskpaw ran off to another young cat, while every other cat except for Birchfall moved away.

As Birchfall and Night approached Bramblestar's den, Birchfall called in, "Bramblestar! We have a rogue visitor! Shall I send him in?"

"Fine," a guarded voice mewed. Nodding, Birchfall beckoned Night inside. Stepping in, Night noticed that it was like Rowanstar's den, but cooler and certainly more sandy. Bramblestar was watching him as he padded in, no emotions seeable in his eyes.

As Night sat down, Bramblestar mewed, "So Night, you want to rejoin us? Why is that?" Night nearly jumped. Who had told Bramblestar his name? Had he remembered him?

"ThunderClan seems like my best choice of a destination, is that reason enough?" Night mewed cooly.

"You had other choices?" Bramblestar inquired, his eyes a storm of hidden thoughts and emotions.

"Being a rogue or a kittypet," he mewed, wary. He didn't think telling Bramblestar about ShadowClan would help him.

Bramblestar nodded, "Are you asking to join us?" Night smiled inwardly. He was in.

Dipping his head politely, Night replied, "If you will accept me." Hopefully Bramblestar wouldn't realize the show of politeness wasn't truly genuine.

"More apprentices can only be a help," Bramblestar mewed, looking past Night, out into the camp.

"Is that a yes then?" Night mewed, kneading the ground with his paws in anticipation.

"I believe that it is," Bramblestar mewed, his gaze thoughtful. Without thanking him, Night jumped up to his paws in excitement. He was in.

**A/N:**

**So Night is in now! Can he stay, or will he have to leave again?**

**Thank you guys so much for nearly 1,100 views. All of you are just amazingly awesome.**

**R&R!**


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